Heroes of the RUH
Inspired by the ‘Humans of New York’, we are showcasing who our Heroes of the RUH are. As part of the RUH Christmas Appeal we are featuring staff interviews, with each person telling their story about what it’s like to care for patients 365 days a year with a glimpse of who they are when they are not at work.
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Heroes of the RUH – Natalie Clarke
Meet Natalie Clarke, Phlebotomist in the Phlebotomy Department at the Royal United Hospitals, Bath. I first joined the RUH when I was 17 and worked in the sterile services department before leaving to do other roles. Six years ago, I received a call from a friend of my mum’s asking if I wanted to come and do a shift in the RUH catering department. I went that day and have been working at the hospital ever since and I trained to be a Phlebotomist a year ago. My current role involves taking blood samples from patients which are sent off to the laboratory so that the results can be used to quickly diagnose diseases and conditions. “I had no experience…
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Heroes of the RUH – Dr Andy Georgiou
Meet Dr Andy Georgiou, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine and Lead Consultant for Intensive Care at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I have been working in the NHS for 18 years. I trained in hospitals across the Southwest of the UK and in Sydney where I worked for the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service. I have worked as a consultant in Bath since 2012 and I’ve been lead consultant for the intensive care unit (ICU) for 7 years. "I decided medicine was for me after enjoying human biology at school and completing some work experience in a hospital. I qualified from medical school believing I wanted to do surgery, but thankfully a job in anaesthesia and intensive care as a…
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Heroes of the RUH – Trina Sharland
Meet Trina Sharland, Physiotherapist on Critical Care at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “Being a physiotherapist wasn’t always something I knew I wanted to do. My mum was a critical care nurse and I knew I always wanted to work in healthcare, but I didn’t know which profession. I’ve always been sporty and my mum encouraged me to be a physiotherapist - I followed in her footsteps and was inspired to be a physiotherapist in critical care. "Before the pandemic, families were able to come in and support their loved ones on critical care, but during COVID they haven’t been able to. Therefore, I make sure that we take the time to ring family members and find out any information about the…
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Heroes of the RUH – Jerica Torres
Meet Jerica Torres, Midwife at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I'm a midwife at Chippenham Birthing Centre and I do my night shifts at the RUH in Bath. What brought me to Bath is that my partner got a new job in Chippenham. So, it was wonderful to discover that there was a birthing centre in Chippenham where I could work as well as at the RUH. I do feel like I get the best of both worlds. "For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be a midwife. When I was a child, I used to spend quite a lot of time in and out of hospital visiting an unwell family member and for me the hospital…
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Heroes of the RUH – Ellen Rankin
Meet Ellen Rankin, Nurse in the Resuscitation and Simulation team at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “Whilst I am celebrating my 20th year at the RUH this year, I have actually been helping the local community a lot longer. "Having left school at 16, and embarking on a career as a secretary, I soon realised it wasn’t the role for me and it was a chance encounter with an old school friend that led to me apply to nursing training and I successfully qualified in 1977. Whilst a lot has changed in the subsequent years, with new technologies and the ever-changing nature of nurse roles, the role is still as diverse as it ever was – every day is different and…
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Heroes of the RUH – Rosie Lloyd
Meet Rosie Lloyd, Senior Sister on Helena Ward at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I’ve been the Senior Sister on Helena Ward since September 2011. When I was 16, I worked in a Nursing Home at the weekends whilst studying for my A-Levels. I knew then that I wanted to be an acute care nurse. "Helena Ward was the first ward to become a Covid ward in March. Our Neurology patients moved to another ward and as a team we were split across both areas. The logistics of staffing two patient groups in two different areas has been immensely challenging and I would not have been able to do it without my team going above and beyond every step of the…
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Heroes of the RUH – Margi Jenkins
Meet Margi Jenkins, Matron of the Critical Care Unit at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I have worked in the NHS for 35 years in several roles, after doing her initial training at the RUH. Since 1989 my career has been based around intensive care nursing in Southmead, UH Bristol and the RUH. I have also co-led the set-up of a cardiac surgery unit in Trinidad in 1995 and spent two years as a specialist nurse in organ donation. "I have been the matron for Critical Care since 2019. I love the one nurse to one patient ratio, due the acuteness of the patients. We don't know who's going to come into our unit on a day-by-day basis. It might be…
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Heroes of the RUH – Andrew Owens
Meet Andrew Owens, Associate Audiologist at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I lost my hearing at birth. I was born prematurely at 26 weeks and the NHS kept me alive. "I am an Associate Audiologist and started the job four years ago. I thought it would be good to help people who have a hearing impairment like me. "Seeing my patients every day makes me proud. I know my patients can really struggle, but I try to make their day better. "I bring Ellie to work with me and our receptionists love seeing her and giving her treats! At night, I take my hearing implant out, so if there was a fire whilst I was on my own, I wouldn’t hear…
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Heroes of the RUH – Helen Jeffcoat-Marsh
Meet Helen Jeffcoat-Marsh, Senior Sister of MAU (Medical Assessment Unit) at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. "In MAU we see patients who have been referred by their GP or by a doctor in the Emergency Department. It’s a busy working environment and it is surprising as to how resilient you become as there is so much pressure but we keep going. We are a strong team. I love the fact that no day is the same. We treat a lot of people who are acutely unwell and who are in for various reasons and I love the challenges it brings. "This Christmas I will be working an early shift on MAU which is 7:30am to 3:30pm. I am not a huge…
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Heroes of the RUH – Molly Vowles
Meet Molly Vowles, Cardiology Day Case Health Care Assistant at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “My colleagues call me the ‘Cannula Queen’ – I am really proud of this nickname, the team are great! "I started at the RUH back in 2014 after I completed Health and Social Care at college. I grew up, and still live on a working farm and so always knew I wanted to do something that cared for others. I thought I wanted to be a veterinary nurse but ended up studying healthcare as the RUH is on my doorstop. I love it here, it’s amazing. I am a HCA on Cardiology Day Case and help recover our elective patients that come in for heart procedures.…
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Heroes of the RUH – Jason Joyce
Meet Jason Joyce, RUH Catering Manager at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “Throughout December the catering team will prepare and cook over 40,000 meals and a further 700 traditional Christmas dinners to be delivered and served to patients on the festive day. The kitchen staff will be very busy, steaming 80kg of carrots, peeling and chopping 80kg of sprouts, roasting 120kg of potatoes, roasting and slicing 120kg of turkey and finishing it off by serving over 1,000 portions of Christmas pudding! “With a long career in catering management I started working here in 2004 and was determined to come into the role with a challenge. The aim was to dispense of frozen food meals and introduce fresh, organic produce onto patient’s menus and sourced from local suppliers. As a team we are proud what we have achieved and our efforts were recognised at the RUH’s staff awards by winning the Team of the Year award. …
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Heroes of the RUH – Eli Bush
Meet Eli Bush, Healthcare Assistant (HCA) at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I started working in the Education Centre at the RUH three years’ ago in an administrative role. I always wanted to be a nurse or a midwife but didn’t have the right qualifications. I resigned myself to that fact that I was just going to be doing admin jobs for the rest of my life but my colleagues inspired me to go back to college and start training to become an HCA. Working for the NHS has loads of perks, such as job security and a good pension, but what I love most is the variety. I meet new people every day and I’m not stuck in one place. So, it’s a job that never gets boring. It’s in my nature to help people, to make them feel welcome and at ease. The hospital…
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Heroes of the RUH – Michelle Wright
Meet Michelle Wright, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Technical Instructor at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I’ve taken part in the Bath half marathon twice now, raising money for the Dyson Cancer Centre as its a cause very close to my heart. Last year I was diagnosed with Chondrosarcoma, a very rare type of bone cancer, which was at the base of my skull. I spent last Christmas undergoing eight weeks of proton beam therapy. Any contribution to the hospital, no matter what area it goes into is always appreciated, especially if it’s for the patients. I’d like to say a big thank you to all The Forever Friends Appeal’s supporters. I’m really proud that my job allows me to really make a difference for patients. Getting patients up and…
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Heroes of the RUH – Candice Scott
Meet Candice Scott, Community receptionist in the Emergency Department at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I like helping others so I felt like I could make a difference working in the NHS, assisting patients and working alongside clinical and non-clinical staff. This year I am working on Boxing Day and throughout the New Year period, so knowing we have the support of the community at this time makes me smile. Every time I am on a shift I try my hardest to be accommodating and support others. From this I can only hope that I have made a difference to at least one person's day. Being in a department that is constantly under pressure I feel it's important to spread kindness. I make a habit of reflecting on what…
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Heroes of the RUH – Sherron Watson
Meet Sherron Watson, medical equipment library Supervisor and Inclusion Ambassador at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “My background is in retail and I have been a postmistress – which surprises many people. I joined the RUH as a cleaner in 2016 but now I have a split role working in the medical equipment library as a Supervisor for three days and I’m an Inclusion Ambassador for the other two days of the week. “As an Inclusion Ambassador my role is to help staff by encouraging our diverse talent to go for all the opportunities at the Trust in terms of training, qualifications, recruitment, being involved in important staff forums, meetings and discussions. No matter your background, ethnicity or grade I’m here to help everyone realise their goals and potential. I really enjoy it and find it fulfilling.
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Heroes of the RUH – Lauren Urch
Meet Lauren Urch, Physiotherapist at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I started working at the RUH in 2014 and have done quite a number of physio rotations including orthopaedics, elderly care, intensive care, respiratory, outpatients and was lucky to work at the RNHRD when it was still down in town. Working in so many areas helped me realise that I really loved respiratory medicine and caring for the most seriously unwell patients. "When the pandemic first hit, I was working in Oncology on William Budd ward but was redeployed to Respiratory to help; because of my background experience it made sense for me, like a number of others to move and offer their support here. I really enjoyed being part of the team, learning…
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Heroes of the RUH – Emma Witts
Meet Emma Witts , Community Midwife and Sonographer for the Royal United Hospitals Bath. ““I’m a Community midwife first, a tongue-tie practitioner and a midwife Sonographer. Midwifery is something I always wanted to go into, I trained at the RUH and have been with the Trust for seven years. There is nothing more rewarding than helping people - pregnancy is a happy time, a time of bringing families together. You get to see two become three. “COVID-19 has sadly made everything so much harder. Now when someone’s in labour, you have to wear goggles, a gown, mask, and a visor, and it acts as a barrier. It’s challenging trying to strike up a rapport with somebody when all they’re seeing is…
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Heroes of the RUH – Anderson Barbosa
Meet Anderson Barbosa, Security Officer at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I started working at the hospital completely by chance, I wanted a change in career and what was initially a temporary role in portering, led to me working within the security team. I think seeing how the hospital works, and the impact that we can cause in everything we do made me want to continue working at the RUH. As a security officer you deal with quite a lot of different situations, from someone being stuck in the car park with their battery flat, to supporting a mental health patient and offering up advice. It allows the team to make a difference in several ways. I think the team work…
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Heroes of the RUH – Heather O’Callaghan
Meet Heather O’Callaghan, who has worked in the supplies department atthe Royal United Hospitals Bath for almost 40 years. “Probably one of the highlights of my life was being chosen to go to Buckingham Palace in recognition of my long service. It was a great day out, though the only downside was I had to wear a dress that I hated – I've never worn it since! There are so many jobs in the hospital that go on in the background, not just the high-profile clinical roles. A hospital can only work properly when all services, from cleaners to consultants work together as a team. We are all important in making sure our patients are cared for. I believe we…
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Heroes of the RUH – Clychelle Mann
Meet Clychelle Mann, who manages our nursing bank staff at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I joined the RUH 18 years ago after I qualified as a Nurse. The hospital is a welcoming place to work. Everyone is so friendly here, which is really nice. I came over from Trinidad to do my Nurse training. I trained at Middlesex University and when I qualified I went to a job fair and applied for a Nursing job at the RUH on Victoria Ward. I found out that I got the job on the same day as my interview. I remember the Ward Manager running after me as I was leaving to get on the train back to London. Over the years I worked in different departments including Intensive Care, Main and Day Surgery Recovery. Out of all the specialities, my favourite is working in Post Anaesthetic Care…
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Heroes of the RUH – Mark Sheriff
Meet Mark Sheriff, Clinical Specialist, Hand Therapy at the hospital at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “In the world of hand therapy, we see an awful lot of trauma – people who have had everyday injuries, damaged their elbow, wrist or hand and nerve problems. During lockdown we continued to see those patients but my team and I also volunteered to work on ITU, putting on and taking off all our PPE as needed. The six of us joined the Prone Team that would turn the ventilated patients. Every 12-14 hours they needed to be positioned on to their front or their back to maintain lung volume and help them to breathe. It was really good to be able to work with so many people from other areas of the…
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Heroes of the RUH – Jo Hodson
Meet Jo Hodson, Neonatal Service Lead at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “My Mum was a nurse and I’ve really enjoyed following in her footsteps. I’ve worked in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 30 years. “I am a Consultant Neonatal Nurse, the only Consultant Nurse in the Trust. Whilst I’m the Neonatal Service Lead, I don’t make all the decisions. We are a team and we learn together. “My career started in 1990 as a Neonatal Nurse, I became an Advance Nurse Practitioner in 2005, and since then I have been an Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (ANNP). I decided I wanted to do less clinical work and took on more managerial responsibilities. In many ways, I have developed my…
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Heroes of the RUH – Jay Crabtree
Meet Jay Crabtree, general porter at the hospital at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I have always wanted to work with the public so working for the hospital is perfect for me. I think I was inspired by watching casualty seeing how staff pulling together to get the job done even in the hardest times it’s just something I really wanted to be a part of. “I started here in 2004 doing mainly doing portering duties and soon started doing extra hours on the bank in supplies and portering in radiology. “I love meeting new people and getting to know staff in the hospital, although most people know me by now. I love having a laugh and being humorous as I feel you need it in a hospital and teamwork is key to getting the job done. “Although lockdown has allowed me to work lots of hours and save money, the…
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Heroes of the RUH – Lynn Howes
Meet Lynn Howes, Senior Sister in the Oral Maxillofacial Surgery & Orthodontics Unit at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I was inspired to be a nurse at a young age of six years old after my sister fell off a climbing frame and cut her head open. My neighbour who was a nurse at the time, immediately went to her aid and cared for her with such compassion, whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive. As I watched her tend to the wounds and reassure my sister that everything was going to ok, I knew there and then that I wanted to be a nurse! From that moment on, I was that little girl who always wore her nurses dressing up…
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Heroes of the RUH – Lisa Bowen
Meet Lisa Bowen, Catering Assistant at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “Everyone knows me as a very friendly and laughable person. I work on the switchboard, taking calls and helping people get through to the right person and I also work in the Lansdown restaurant. I love both of my jobs and my team are amazing. I couldn’t have achieved what I do at work without them, and I love working with them. Working in a hospital there’s a lot going on, people are dealing with difficult decisions, some people are happy, others sad, so when they come to the Lansdown restaurant, I like to go that extra mile and make that person smile or even laugh, and hopefully they feel…
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Heroes of the RUH – Marcin Plociniak
Meet Marcin Plociniak, Security Officer at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “Since I was young I have been used to being in a hospital environment as some of relatives worked in a hospital back in Poland. I used to visit them all the time so I think that’s what made me get involved in some sort of caring background. “In 2008 I moved over to England and started working in a few nursing homes. I then saw a role come up at the hospital and lucky enough I got the interview to become a cleaner. After a few years of understanding how the hospital works I found the perfect job for me - a security officer which I have been doing…
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Heroes of the RUH – Cassie Jones
Meet Cassie Jones, Secretary in Radiology at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “When I turned 25 I decided that I wanted to have more of a career and be proud of what I do. I wanted to work in Radiology and I really like working here as they are a lovely team and we have a great manager. I find the scanning and the science behind it really interesting, so that’s why I’m here. I’ve been here for three years and I’ve never been in a role this long. Whenever anyone emails in, like clinicians, other secretaries, we’re always really quick to respond and help them. We often get feedback that we’re really helpful, praising how efficient we are which is great. When we were in lockdown it was quite lonely because I was living on my own. When…
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Heroes of the RUH – Mark Beresford
Meet Mark Beresford, Consultant Clinical Lead for Oncology at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I specialise in the treatment of breast, urological and brain cancers. I’ve been working at the RUH for nearly 10 years, I joined within a month of our twins being born, so I remember the time well. What I love about my job is having interaction with our patients. I think it is really important that we get to know them well because sometimes we’ll see them for many years so it’s nice to build up a rapport. Lockdown has been tough on all of us and I still worry that we could lose a lot of staff isolating because of the virus but so far it’s…
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Heroes of the RUH – Luke Davy
Meet Luke Davy, Specialist Diagnostic Radiographer at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I guess I owe it to my mum for what I do. When I finished my A levels I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life but needed to get a job. My mum who is also a radiographer suggested I join the bank at Frenchay and work as a radiology porter. Before this I had shown very little interest in what my mum did at work. I soon found that I really enjoyed working in a hospital. Working in a big team of porters, radiographers, RDA's and radiologists was good fun. Every day was different and the people I worked with were all great people. It was during this time that…
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Heroes of the RUH – Tasha Miles
Meet Tasha Miles, Health Care Assistant on Pierce Ward at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “For the last two and a half years, I’ve worked on Pierce Ward as a Health Care Assistant. I have always wanted to work in an environment where I am caring for people. My best friend, who works on the Cardiac Ward, inspired me to work for the NHS. Hearing about what she was doing, how happy it made her and how rewarding it was motivated me to apply for the healthcare assistant role. COVID-19 has affected many things. I find it hard not being able to have that same contact with patients. However, I always try and go out of my way to be there…
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Heroes of the RUH – Jaspal Phull
Meet Jaspal Phull, Consultant Urological Surgeon at the Royal United Hospitals Bath. “I’ve always wanted to work in healthcare and I think I always wanted to be a surgeon from a young age. I had a number of influences around me, including many of my family who are also working for the NHS. “It’s hard to underplay the influence that my parents have had on me. My dad is a doctor, he’s retired but returned to work and my mum is a really an inspirational person. She has been telling me all of my life to make everyone around you feel special. It’s really dawned on me more than ever during this pandemic that actually it’s good to take a bit…
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Heroes of the RUH – Grace Mugagga
“I’ve been qualified as a registered nurse for nine months and this is my first role as a nurse. I’ve always wanted to do nursing, I just didn’t know what type so I’m so pleased that I have found my place in Critical Care. “I studied at the University of the West of England (UWE) and did a seven week placement at the RUH in the Critical Care department. I had two mentors and they were very inspiring. I saw how they gave excellent care to the patients and I went home feeling that I had given it everything during those days. “It was because of one of my mentors that I wanted to come back and work in this team. I saw how my mentor Jaz cared for her patients.…
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Heroes of the RUH – Maria Brinkworth
Meet Maria, a mum of two teenage boys who works as one of the most fundamental cogs to the smooth running of the hospital - a full time cleaner on Haygarth ward. “Every day is a challenge, working as a cleaner at the RUH, Haygarth is a very busy ward and no two days are the same but that is what I like about it. I take each day as it comes and go with the flow.” “It has been hard at work since the start of the pandemic. The job has got more time consuming. At breakfast time, there always needs to be two of us to avoid cross contamination. We are washing our hands constantly, wearing gloves, changing…
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Heroes of the RUH – Baz Harding-Clark
“My work is really varied because I have a joint role. As well as being an Orthopaedic Practitioner, I work in ED as a Senior Healthcare Assistant. “On a usual day I came in at 7.30am. I then become the flow co-ordinator, a role that makes sure that the waiting room is safe and everyone is being seen in the right order. I will be asked to do complex casting, or, if there are patients that need manipulating into a plaster, I will be called in to assist the doctor. We mostly use splints and boots, so we don’t do much plastering any more. “On the flip side I could be taking someone’s bloods, performing observations or be doing an…
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Heroes of the RUH – Niki Hartley
Niki likens herself to a cat with nine lives that has used up five of them, having been caught up in five disasters or near misses including: ● Hurricane Katrina ● Hurricane Ivan ● A tornado ● An earthquake ● A crash landing at Heathrow where she had to use a shute to escape the plane. Having survived these and having worked through the first wave of the COVID pandemic, Niki says she feels strong and shares her experiences as a nurse: “I joined the Medical Records team at the RUH when I was 19. I always wanted to be a nurse, but I knew it was more a vocation, not just a job, so I decided to get a…
